Self Improvement – Are YouTaking The Journey Or Just Looking At The Brochures?

Each and every year millions of people buy tens of millions of self help books. Each and every year surveys tells us that an increasing number of people are unhappy in their lives, unhappy with their work, concerned about their finances and suffering from stress. This does not compute!

Unfortunately, too many personal development books are nothing more than feel good books – no better than a good novel that you can’t put down but that makes absolutely no difference to your daily life. Unfortunately, quite a few personal growth books are penned by millionaire self improvement ’gurus’ , who have little understanding of the trials and tribulations of ordinary everyday life. The Brian Tracys and Deepak Chopras of this world don’t struggle to pay the bank or the school fees. Practicing the seven steps to this or the seven secrets to that is no problem when you’re rolling in it!

The biggest issue that I have with self improvement books, however, is that they don’t provide the average Joe the simple, practical daily steps that you can take to change your life. These books don’t provide the reader with any appreciation that personal development is something that you’ve got to put into practice not just each day, but again and again during the course of the day. The reader doesn’t understand the perseverance that’s required. Nor will the reader be able to understand the enormous benefits – because he or she has yet to do what it takes to experience them first hand. Most importantly, I’ve yet to read a personal ‘success’ book that provides the readers with a compelling enough reason to fully commit to changing how they go about their lives.

In short, self improvement books are like badly written holiday brochures. These books encourage you to read about the destination but they don’t convince you to actually buy your ticket and take the journey. That’s why personal development authors are becoming wealthier whilst the normal guy in the street looking for a bit of practical advice is getting more frustrated.

Self improvement means just what it says – it’s the ultimate do it yourself. If you purchased a new electric drill or chain saw, you’d read the instructions and then use your new toy. Sadly, we were not delivered with a user’s manual – but we do need to get to know how we work before we can operate ourselves to the best of our ability. Before you can alter the course of your life, or become a happier person, you need to know why you’re not happy at the moment, or why it is that you’re not fully comfortable with who think you are. Psychological research gives us plenty of information about how we work – but the problem that I have with psychology is that it’s mainly negative.

But, if you really do want to change your life, if you want to take the wonderful journey, if you want to experience life as it should be lived, you’ve got to start with the baby steps of, firstly, coming to terms with what makes you tick and, then, the tiny changes that can be easily and consistently made to tune up what is an immensely powerful piece of equipment… you.

The Dangers Of Self-Help

I’ve no idea exactly how many personal development or bestselling self help books sold over the last year – but I do know that self help is the fastest area of growth in publishing with millions of books being purchased each year. In addition, I know that, if you turn on your TV, open any newspaper or take a quick glance at the web’s blogs and forums, these self help books make little or no difference.

Many recent surveys conclude that we are more anxious, stressed and bewildered than at any other time in modern history – even a world war didn’t give rise to such abject fear as we are witnessing in a millennium where we all led ourselves to belief that humankind was finally moving to a new level. In fact, the wartime spirit that galvanized nations into powerful forces during the second world war, is nowhere to be seen in a brave new world where obsession with money – or needing enough of it to feel secure – is the order of the day and it’s every man for himself. What the hell has happened – and I use the world ‘hell’ deliberately because it seems to me that the normal life is much nearer to hell than heaven.

Bestsellers like ‘The Secret’ and ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ promise a brighter, better life if you apply your mind in the right direction. Alternatively, Barbara Ehrenreich in her book, ‘Smile or Die’, claims that positive thinking has destroyed the US and ruined the world.

Having worked in the self improvement ‘business’ since 1996 – long before it was fashionable to admit to your friends or colleagues that you were ‘into it’ – I firmly believe that people who read these self help books are not only fooling themselves but are a danger to themselves and those around them. They read a bit, experience the ‘feel-good’ after-glow, perhaps even put something of what they’ve read into practice for a bit and then con themselves into believing that things are either better or, worse, about to get better – this is a general excuse for doing absolutely nothing whilst ‘waiting for something to happen’.

Books don’t change your life. Action changes your life – real action on a daily basis – action that you’ve got to take yourself. And I’ve seen precious little evidence of action. Sure, I see lots of reaction – but everyone reacts, we’re experts at is and it makes our lives worse instead of better.

So, put down your self improvement books and ask yourself this searching question? What action could you take today that can make your life better? As I don’t know anything about your life, I’ve no idea whether major action is required or, perhaps, it’s just something small. But I do know this – I am regularly questioning myself, challenging myself making certain that I keep taking the little and large actions that need to be done to push – yes, you’ve got to push yourself – my life towards more and more happiness and excitement. And I’ve the results to show for it.